Research: Science & Education
A Guide to Submissions Since 1924, the Journal has provided a means of communication among people who are interested in teaching chemistry. The ACS Division of Chemical Education, Inc. publishes the Journal, and the Division was founded primarily for this reason. The Journal’s more than fifteen thousand readers represent teachers of chemistry from middle school through university as well as scientists in industry and government. In the words of W. T. Lippincott, a former editor, the Journal’s aims are: “to provide chemistry teachers with information, ideas, and materials for improving and updating their background and their understanding of the science, and for helping them in their teaching and in their effectiveness in developing the talents of students. The central idea here is that this should be not only a ‘living textbook of chemistry’ as one of the early editors put it, but a perpetual and dependable learning source for chemists who teach.” The Journal publishes in several media, as described below in Other Journal Publications.
Editorial Objectives The Journal publishes articles in these main areas: • Chemical Education Today (news, commentary, reports) • Chemistry Every Day for Everyone (applications, history, interdisciplinary activities, public understanding) • In the Classroom (teaching tips, methods, demonstrations, content/principles) • In the Laboratory (experiments, microscale, safety) • Information/Textbooks/Media/Resources (reviews, information technology) • Research: Science and Education (pedagogical reviews, science education research)
All manuscripts receive the benefit of the peer-review process before acceptance and publication.
Our Aims and Expectations We expect that your manuscript has not been published elsewhere or submitted for publication elsewhere. There should have been a literature search to determine whether the work duplicates previously published work. The manuscript should fit within the aims of the Journal, and it should contain a general overview at the beginning describing how it is relevant to the classroom, laboratory, or curriculum.
What to Submit 1. Four copies of the manuscript. The manuscript should a) have pedagogical content, b) appeal to a clearly identified audience, c) be accurate, original and useful to its audience, and d) include a thoroughly researched bibliography. It should begin with a brief Introduction, stating why the reader should take the time to read it. The text should be in concise, clear and proper English. Whenever possible, incorporate material by citing recent relevant publications, especially J. Chem. Educ. Do not repeat what has already been published. Include illustrations drawn so as to convey the information most effectively, but only necessary ones. The manuscript should be typed, double spaced (approximately 3 lines per inch), in a font size no smaller than 10 point; use 1 inch margins on all sides of the page. More detailed Style Guidelines are available at our WWW site or on request from our office. 2. A cover letter from the corresponding author. Include complete postal and e-mail addresses, and telephone and fax numbers; tell us which method of communication you prefer. You should also specifically state where, among the six main areas listed above, your manuscript best
fits. You are invited to suggest reviewers; if you do, please provide current addresses. 3. Keywords. To help categorize your manuscript and aid in the preparation of the Index, please provide at least four keywords that best describe it. A list from which to choose may be found on page A230, on our WWW site, or we will be happy to send you one. 4. Abstract (four copies). This abstract will be a major part of the Internet version of your manuscript, and will also help us in the review process. It should be about 200 words long. 5. Literature Search. If it is not already part of your manuscript, include the results of a literature search that indicates your own and others’ work that has a bearing on the manuscript you are submitting.
Where to Submit All manuscripts, including those for feature columns and the Secondary School Section, should go to the Journal’s editorial office at the address below. Submissions for other than the print medium should also be sent to the address below.
What Happens Next When we have received your manuscript and the accompanying materials (abstract, keywords, literature search) you will receive an acknowledgment letter and a Copyright Assignment form. As soon as your signed Copyright Assignment form has been returned, your manuscript will be sent to reviewers. Except in unusual circumstances, we will not communicate with you again until all of the reviewers’ comments are in. Most manuscripts need at least some revision before they are accepted.When the manuscript has been accepted, we will need a final version of it on disk: the text, the figures, and the tables.
Other Journal Publications In addition to a monthly print Journal, there are related print and non-print resources: • Journal of Chemical Education: Software publishes instructional media for chemistry. At the present time this includes: software for Macintosh, Windows, and MS-DOS; videodiscs; CD-ROMs; and videotape. • JCE: Internet is the place where the Internet is the primary medium of publication. What can be found here cannot be found in print, often because the primary message cannot be printed: animations and movies are examples. Another example is the on-line Index to Chemistry Textbooks in Print. • Other Publications includes books, reprint volumes, Cumulative Indexes, and Handbook for Teaching Assistants.
For More Information or To Correspond with the Journal Journal of Chemical Education University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Chemistry 209 North Brooks Street Madison, WI 53715-1116 Phone: 1-800-991-5534 or 608-262-7146 Fax: 608-262-7145 Email:
[email protected] WWW: http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu Guidelines Revised: September 1996
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Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 73 No. 10 October 1996
